Through The Ascension Room***Book One COMPLETE***

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT ~PART FOUR~

       CHAPTER

                             Twenty-eight

My surroundings whip around me in a furious whirlwind. The diner lights flash and twirl into painted swirls against the black of the night. The fatigue from the exertion doesn’t last long and I’m left slightly limp standing in the parking structure of the diner for only a few moments before I feel full strength enter into my body again.

I lift my localizer at eye level and read the display.

It worked.

The smell of the night sends my senses into a frenzy of excitement and emotion. This day has been ingrained forever into my conscience and it feels almost right to be back here, in this place, in this moment again.

I take a deep breath of the ocean air and don’t mind the stench of the rotten sea life that disturbed me the first time I was here.

Home.

Or at least the closest I have to one I guess.

I glance around and everything is just as I remember it. It’s as If I never left. Almost Like I’ve left a part of me here all along, waiting for the rest of me to return and to be reunited. A sense of belonging rushes over me and I let it sink in. It feels good. It feels right. It’s like that feeling when things aline perfectly where they are supposed to, and a sense of accomplishment sets in.

I look into the diner and scan the entire building until I find what I am looking for. The swing in her step. The confident, yet humble expression on her face. It’s Aubri. I am immediately filled with the same feeling that I felt all those months ago. It’s strange really how I can’t explain these things that happen to me when she is around. She was able to take me out of my shell within just a few minutes of meeting her and even now I feel right back in the same spot.

She disappears into the back kitchen area as a low rumbling begins to build in the near distance. I glance at the road that emerging from behind some large over growing bushes and trees. Headlights peek around the brush illuminating the road as the sound grow in intensity and volume. Then I realize that the rumbling sound is that of my bike. It’s me coming into town for the first time. I quickly slip behind a dumpster well hidden by a veil of darkness.

I watch in stunned disbelief as I ride up into the parking lot. The moment is surreal and I struggle to not completely freak out. I stay crouched low to the ground doing my best not to breathe in too much of the foul smelling trash spilling over the sides of the dumpster.   

I can’t help but chuckle a little as I watch myself remove the helmet from my head revealing the matted hair beneath. It’s a wonder how Aubri ever found any interest in me looking like that. I stealthily watch as I fumble through my backpack.

Memories of what seemed like so long ago come flooding my mind as the contents of the bag are displayed vividly in my head as if I am seeing it again for the second time. The feel, the texture, the smell. Details pop into my mind almost as if I am connecting brain waves with my old self, or better yet; young self, reliving this very moment subconsciously.

Is that even possible?

I watch myself finish thumbing through the backpack and head towards the gas station. The monotony of my life is clearly seen here and now as I am just going through the motions. You can see the droning of my movements as I pump the gas. Body language absent of anything purposeful. If I had only known back then what I know now I might have just settled with that life and never given changing anything a second thought. Ignorance is bliss, and I was surely ignorant… I reassure myself that this is what I want and that it’s worth it.

Stilling my breathing as my past self makes his way towards the diner I can’t help but jolt in my crouched position as a rat begins to climb up my leg. I kick my leg and give it a wiggle. Then the animal squeals and scurries off underneath the dumpster. My shuffle draws the attention of myself and I remain frozen crouched low behind the dumpster hoping that I am not found out. Luckily my past self doesn’t seem too interested in investigating further and I am relieved.

I watch as I take a seat at the booth and relax in my hiding place knowing that I just have to wait for myself to leave then I can swoop in and take Aubri away and protect her.

Moments later a black car pulls up into the parking lot followed by another one just a few minutes after the other. I remember the one car being the drug dealers car but I am curious as to who the other belongs to. Realizing that there’s not much going on in the diner that I don’t already know about I divide my attention between the two and focus in on the two cars that have just pulled up.

I watch as four familiar faces come out of the two cars one right after the other. First the two drug dealers, which doesn’t surprise me. Then my eyes tell me something that I find hard to believe at first. I rub my eyes trying to clear any residue that may be distorting my view and take a second glance at the other two faces that emerge from the second car. It’s Hilt and Richard. I feel dizzy as my world seems to spin and rotate violently.

What are they doing here?

I feel afraid that they are going to find me hiding here but then realize that they don’t seem to be looking for anything. They are focused on the diner. On me in the diner. They are here for me alright, just not me.

The two drug dealers move to stand with Hilt and Richard as Richard gestures towards the diner obviously pointing at my past self.

This was all a set up. I was meant to follow them. I was meant to get caught. I was set up… Set up. But Why?

As the already murky feeling inside of me becomes even more distorted and confusing I watch as Richard gestures to Hilt and he places something in the gang member’s hand. The gang member observes and looks over the item and seems pleased with it as he shoves it into his pants pocket.

They shake hands and the gang members head towards the diner as Hilt and Richard stand and watch. I turn to watch my past-self sit in the diner, un-expectant of what’s to come. If only they knew they were being watched too. Content, smug looks are plastered onto their faces and it makes my stomach churn.

Them being here was never a part of the plan.

How am I going to slip in undetected?

After the two gang members take their seat Hilt and Richard return to their car and pull out of the parking lot saving my plan from some serious rearranging.

I am filled with the emphasized desire to get the job done and finally take down the sumus exitium once and for all. They messed with the wrong guy this time.